


Porridge in Bed

by Yumekari



Category: Hakuouki
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-18
Updated: 2017-10-18
Packaged: 2019-01-19 08:42:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12407004
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yumekari/pseuds/Yumekari
Summary: While Kondou recovers from his bullet wound, Okita tries to nurse him back to health. Kondou pov.





	Porridge in Bed

It was the night after my fever broke. The stabbing heat in my shoulder had numbed. Now I just felt cold, even underneath my blankets.

_I’ll have to thank everyone for taking such good care of me,_ I thought. I didn’t remember anything after falling off my horse, but since then, everyone had been checking in on me periodically. It was a bit embarrassing to be downed by a gun and I regretted making them worry, but the sincerity of their feelings warmed my heart.

Maybe it was the great care I was receiving, but getting shot wasn’t that bad after all. It gave me hope that we would still be able to fight against guns with swords. _The age of the samurai isn’t over yet!_

“Kondou-san?”

My thoughts were interrupted by a soft voice outside my door, tinged with concern. I immediately recognized it as Souji’s voice. Come to think of it, he was the only one I hadn’t seen all day. It wasn’t surprising, since he was still sick with his cold and had been ordered to bed rest.

“Come in,” I croaked, shifting so that I was sitting up. Hearing my dry voice, I frowned. Souji had always been prone to worry and I didn’t want to give him more reasons to fret over me.

The door slid open to reveal Souji’s face, clouded with anxiety. By his knees sat a tray with a large bowl on it.

“I thought you might be hungry, Kondou-san. So I made you some porridge.”

The thoughtful gesture put a smile on my face. “You didn’t have to do that for me, Souji. You should be resting yourself!”

“I wanted to do it,” he protested, entering my room with the tray. A shadow flitted over his face when he glimpsed my bandaged shoulder, but it was gone almost as quickly as I spotted it.

I accepted the porridge from Souji, my eagerness slipping away when I saw that the broth and even the rice were a strange brown color that couldn’t have been from miso or dashi stock. Souji had foregone the simple approach, piling the porridge high with green onions, salmon, pickled plums, seaweed, and sesame seeds. That would have been fine, but a distinctly sharp, sour, and un-porridgelike scent wafted up at me from the bowl.

Still, I kept the smile on my face. Souji might not have been a very good cook, but it was the thought that counted. I was touched by his kind-heartedness.

“This reminds me of the time Yukimura-kun and I brought you porridge in bed. Do you remember that?”

“Of course I do,” Souji reminisced with a tender smile. “That’s why I made you porridge. I wanted to pay you back and make you as happy as you made me.”

I was pleased that he had grown up into such a thoughtful man. “Did you make some for Yukimura-kun too, then?”

“No…” It sounded like such a thing hadn’t occurred to him. Maybe it was for the best.

“Ah, well… Thanks for the meal,” I said. I resolved to eat as quickly as possible. Bringing the bowl to my lips, I shoveled the acrid mixture into my mouth with chopsticks and tried not to taste anything. I soon finished the porridge and set the empty bowl down.

“How was it?” Souji asked, staring at me with wide-eyed attention, a hint of nervousness in his voice.

“Uh, mmm! Mmm! It was good!” I replied, giving him a wide grin. “I feel better already.” That part was true. Despite the foul aftertaste lingering in my mouth, the warmth from the porridge was spreading from my stomach throughout my body, driving away the chill. It wasn’t just the food, either. I was warmed by Souji’s sincere feelings. Even though he hadn’t recovered from his cold yet, he had been worried about me and took the time to personally cook for me. Such things were more important than the flavor of a meal.

Souji searched my face intently, perhaps suspecting something because of my blunder. But eventually he accepted my words with relief. “I see. I’m glad I was of use to you, Kondou-san.”

“Come on, don’t talk like that! You could never be a burden to me. But you really shouldn’t be pushing yourself like this for my sake. You’re still sick!”

“Okay, okay,” he replied with a fond laugh. “I’ll get some rest if you do.”

“It’s a deal, then.” I grinned. Now that I was warm and comfortable, my eyes were threatening to close. Souji must have noticed it too.

“Good night, Kondou-san,” he said, quietly leaving my room with the tray.

“Good night, Souji.”

Buoyed by affectionate thoughts, I soon drifted off into a pleasant sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> I thought the times Kondou took care of a sick Okita in the game and anime were REALLY cute. Of course Okita would down food he doesn’t really like for Kondou’s sake, but I wanted to show their mutual affection by reversing the roles.


End file.
